


My Brother's Keeper

by clv44



Series: Tales from the Wildemount Frontier [6]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Priests, Alternate Universe - Western, Bar Room Brawl, Brothers, Campaign 2 (Critical Role), Christian Character, Cowboys & Cowgirls, Explicit Language, Gen, Guilt, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Period-Typical Racism, Religious Conflict, Western, badass priest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22310434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clv44/pseuds/clv44
Summary: A pair of brothers saunter into town. Caduceus has come to grow his ministry. Molly has come to drink and fuck himself into an early grave.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay & Mollymauk Tealeaf
Series: Tales from the Wildemount Frontier [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612876
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	My Brother's Keeper

_Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor._

_-Romans 12:10 (ESV)_

"You really should come with me sometime, Cad. I'm sure we could find some woman tempting enough for you."

Caduceus was exercising every ounce of self-control he had to not show his irritation. Molly was leading him by the shoulder through the crowded roads of Zadash, which was a bit difficult since Caduceus had a whole two feet on him.

"I appreciate the offer, Molly-"

"You do?" His brother's eyebrows shot up.

"-but I have to decline. I'll let you go down your own path, no matter how bad for you I think it is. All I ask is that you respect that path that _I've_ chosen." He tugged at the white collar at his throat, as if Molly needed reminding why they travelled so much in the first place. His brother looked disappointed, but he just shrugged, running a hand through his considerable curls.

"Fine, whatever. You go stand on your soap box and reel in your lost fish."

"Sheep," corrected Cad, but Molly was already done listening, letting himself be carried into the sea of civilians. Zadash was mostly a mining town, with prospectors coming from across the Louisiana Territory to scour the nearby lake for nuggets of gold. The clothing of the general population was shabby and filthy; Molly was decked out in the finest purple suit money could buy. Or hands could steal. Molly had always been vague on where exactly he'd gotten that piece of clothing. He was known to turn heads in even the more well-off towns, but in a mining settlement where the default color was brown almost everybody was staring as he made his way to find the nearest brothel.

Cad tried not to let his brother's habits distract him. He had a message to spread, people to reach and he couldn't be micromanaging his brother's life jut because Molly didn't feel responsible. Still, it hurt him every time Molly staggered off to drown himself in loose women and so much booze that he'd be puking out their bedroom window half the night.

Cad shook his head and tried to focus on finding a good spot to preach. As flippant as Molly's comment had been, it was true that a box was often the best way to get attention in a crowd. It was just a shame that so many saw this the same way Molly did: a way for a hypocrite to say what he was better than the rest while he chided them for their sins. Cad sighed as he pulled a crate from behind a general store. He knocked on the back door and the proprietor, a rotund woman chewing on something, poked her head out at him. He smiled at her.

"Hi," he said, holding up the crate. "Would you mind terribly if I borrowed this?"

"Fuck if I care, preacher," she replied, spitting a wad of tobacco on the ground. "Just bring it back once you're done."

"Of course," he said, nodding. "Thank you."

The woman raised an eyebrow at him; Cad guessed in a town like Zadah kindness was treated with suspicion. It made his heart sad, but he left the woman to her thoughts, making his way to the center of town.

Being that Zadash, like the southward settlement of Deadwood, technically had no government, there was no town hall at the crossroads. Instead, the town's centerpiece was a saloon. Cad wasn't bothered; in towns like these saloons were where everyone congregated. Therefore, it was more likely that everyone would hear you.

Cad sat the crate open end down, trying to ignore the glares and funny looks he got from passersby. He'd learned along his journey that people who flocked to towns such as this one didn't care for preachers. He and Molly had been forced to leave more than one settlement. He stepped up on the box and cleared his throat, feeling nervous sweat coating his collar. A few people spared him a glance, but nobody stopped to listen. Cad took a breath; this was the hardest part, starting when you knew nobody wanted to hear what you had to say.

"I know what you see before you," he began, forcing his voice to project past his fear. "You see a man who thinks he's better than you. A man who's going to tell you to be more like him because he's sinless. Well, if that's the case I can assure you that I'm not that man." Cad hoped he navigated that okay; it was never easy trying to tell people they were wrong. "I am a man just as sinful as you. I have, and still do, break the Law of God every day." This was where he usually lost what audience he had; talking about abstract sins and his connection to humanity was one thing. It was another to start talking about a specific God none of them believed in and none of them wanted to hear they'd offended.

"I'm not morally flawless," he continued, focussing on the attentions he _had_ managed to grab. He saw hungry, broken eyes staring back at him and hoped for their sake he didn't leave them empty. "I feel in my heart every day that I need forgiveness for who I have been. Who I am. And who I will be for the rest of my life. It is a kind of hunger, a restlessness of the heart that lies in every man and woman. I think that's why you're all here; you're looking for something to sedate the desires of your hearts. But not all the liquor in the world can fill the hole forever. A woman's love cannot satisfy your longing for a love that never leaves. And all the gold in the river won't buy peace. Only one man can do that; not I or any other preacher on the planet, but the Lord Jesus Christ. He says to come to us with our burdens and he gives us rest from them. If you have been wondering about this Jesus, then I implore you to come and talk to me. There is only so much I can say in an impromptu sermon. I will be around, probably at the bar, so don't be shy about coming to talk."

Cad smiled at the faces that stared up into his. He hoped the Holy Spirit had planted something in their hearts; he'd done all he could do for now.

He stepped down off the box just as a raggedy man came up to him, holding out a dirty wad of dollar bills.

"Oh, that's not necessary, my good man," Cad said, closing the man's hand around the money. "I'm currently not collecting. Please get yourself something to eat."

"But how am I supposed to get into heaven?" the man asked. "If I don't pay the offering?"

Cad's smile was sad; obviously some greedy priest had already gotten to this man. "Heaven isn't bought by us, friend. It was already bought by God, through the blood of His Son."

The man blinked. He seemed confused.

"Would you like to talk about it after I've returned this box?" asked Cad. The man nodded.

Twenty minutes later, Caduceus was sitting down with the man who called himself Marius, pouring them both something that was brown. Marius took small sips as he told Cad about what he'd been through; he'd run with a group of desperados until they'd abandoned him for dead after they'd hit a wagon train. He'd been wandering since then, not sure where to go or what to do. He'd tried thieving again, but on his own he wasn't very good at it. Cad nodded, not speaking, pretending to take sips of his own drink to make Marius more comfortable.

"I tried going to religion," he said. "all the preachers said that if you gave to the church, you get gifts back. That the money goes to God. I figured that oughta count for somethin', y'know?"

Cad nodded; he knew all too well. "I do. It's a sad cycle; you were either deceived by a deliberate fraud or taught poorly by a man just as lost as you."

"So." Marius looked deep into Caduceus' eyes. There was desperation there, a hand reaching out for Cad to take. "What do I need to do? To get to heaven?"

Cad was going to tell him before a body hit the floor beside him with a loud _THUMP_. Cad was on his feet in a second, checking for a pulse on the man's bruised neck. He sighed in relief; it was there and going strong.

"Yeah!" a drunken voice shouted. "Yeah, you fuck!"

Caduceus cringed; he recognized that voice. He looked up to the second floor to see Molly leaning over the railing. He was a mess; he'd lost his violet jacket, his shirt was unbuttoned, his cravat was hanging off his neck and his face was flushed from drink. He caught Cad's eye and Cad hated himself for the ripple of shame that went through him. This was the time to step up and be a good brother, take him back to their room at the inn, give him some medicine and let him sleep it off. But all he could think of was Marius looking from him to his brother. He was about to lose the one person in this town he'd managed to reach. All because of Molly.

"Hey, brother!" he called as Cad began making his way upstairs. "Sweet, perfect, Moses' stick shoved up his ass brother of mine. Did you make a new friend? Another sheep to add to your meager flock? Am I embarrassing you?" Cad took him quietly by the arm and led him away, down the stairs, through the bar of onlookers, every one of which he could feel staring at their backs, and into the street.

"Can't stand to be seen with me, huh?" Molly slurred, leaning heavily on Cad's arm. "No, God forbid! They might think you're fuckin' human, rather than a pretty words dispenser!" Molly hiccuped. Cad had nothing to say; pity, embarrassment and guilt swirled inside his heart. He didn't know how to express all three at once. He didn't even know if he should.

"Oh, hey," Molly said. "Not too scarred off, I see." Cad looked up to find Marius on Molly's other side, his hands held out towards the two brothers.

"Need some help?" he asked. Cad nodded.

"Thank you," he said, smiling as Marius slung Molly's other arm over his shoulders.

"Wow, Cad," drolled Molly, "you finally found someone dumb enough to follow you."

Marius said nothing, just helped steer Molly over towards the inn at the edge of town. It was quite a process getting him up the stairs, slipping him into his night clothes and tucking him into bed. Molly seemed to be trying his best to make it a struggle, his limbs like wet noodles and his drunken flippancy filling whatever threatened to be a moment of silence. Eventually, though, the two men managed to get Molly under his quilts. He was soon snoring loudly, a little line of drool trailing from the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sorry about this," Cad said, escorting Marius back downstairs. Marius waved it off.

"Ive had days like he has. Where the world just gets the best of you."

Cad nodded; he was grateful for the understanding. Molly didn't get a lot of that from people.

"I think I'll need to watch him today," he said. "Would you mind too terribly if we continued our earlier conversation at a later date?" Marius looked down at his shuffling feet and Caduceus panicked. Should he clarify that they'll continue only if he wants to? Before he could, though, Marius looked up at him.

"Sure," he said, sounding tentative. "Tomorrow?" Cad felt his heart soar with relief and some kind of joy he could only assume was from God. This man wanted to learn more, hear what he had to say.

"Of course," he said. "I'll meet you in the saloon. High noon."

Marius nodded and stepped out into the street, waving goodbye. Cad went back inside, saying a quiet prayer of thanks, as he went up to take care of his brother.

Molly hadn't thrown up in his sleep, which was a good sign. He would probably make it through this with less suffering than usual. Cad pulled up a stool beside his brother's bed and pulled his Bible from his jacket. It felt dishonest reading his brother Scripture while he slept, but Cad felt inclined to give Molly any leg up he could. He was his brother, and, what's more, the very last of his kin. If he didn't at least attempt something, anything, to help him, what kind of Christian, what kind of brother, did that make him?

He flipped open to one of the many book marked pages and found the story of the prodigal son. He had always liked this story; a son squanders his father's wealth, but is welcomed back in forgiveness despite all he'd done. He felt like it reflected his own journey.

"'But while he was a long way off'," Cad read softly, "'his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.'"

"Papa..." Cad looked over at Molly. His eyes were mere squints and he was reaching feebly towards Caduceus. Cad felt his chest clench; friends had always said he took after their father.

"No, Molly," he said, putting away his Bible and taking his brother's hand. "It's me. It's Cad."

Comprehension dawned in Molly's eyes and his lip started trembling. He let out a choked sob and started crying, tears falling on to his pillow. Cad sat on the edge of Molly's bed, taking his thin, shaking body in his arms.

"I miss them," Molly croaked between sobs. "I miss Ma and Pa."

"I do too," Cad whispered. He recalled his father's warm smile, his mother's arms, strong and secure, as she hugged him.

"Bullshit!" Molly tore into a new, raw patch of sobs. "You don't! All you care about is your stupid dogma! You've never even cried!"

Molly's words stung. Cad had needed to be the big brother when Ma and Pa had died. He'd needed to be strong. He couldn't let Molly see his tears, hear his crying, see the red around his eyes after a night of nothing but grief.

"That's not true, Molly," he whispered. Molly didn't say anything, just cried into Cad's robes. Cad held him, letting him pour out his sorrow. After a few minutes, Molly began to cool down. His breathing slowed and his sobs turned into small hiccups.

"He called Mama a whore," he said, his voice muffled as he spoke into Cad's shirt. Cad didn't need to ask who "he" had been. Molly had thrown "him" over the balcony. "I'm sorry..."

"You don't need my forgiveness, Molly." Cad rubbed circles into his brother's back. "You need the forgiveness of the man you threw and he needs yours for being so cruel in his desire to hurt. You've done nothing to me except be my little brother." He smirked. "And that's been penance enough for both of us."

Molly chuckled sadly. "That's fair."

Molly fell asleep in Cad's arms and Cad laid him back down under the covers. He suddenly felt exhausted, despite the fact it was only seven in the evening. The sun still cast an orange glow on the horizon. Men, women and children still walked and rode freely outside.

Caduceus sighed as he got into his night clothes. He sometimes wished he had one of their lives. He wouldn't mind a wife, children, a stable job that paid well and didn't make him move around so much. But then he thought back on the day; he'd found Marius and God had opened a door for him. He thought about Molly and how he had confided in Cad. He had never thought his brother was in so much pain. He was often so carefree, a beacon of insatiable energy. Cad felt like he understood Molly a lot better now. And he wondered if he would've understood if he had lived any other life.

Caduceus kneeled down beside his bed and began his prayers, throwing in a special prayer of comfort Molly. He got under his covers, whispered a soft "goodnight" to Molly, and went to sleep almost at once.


End file.
